Folding camera.



A; c. FISHER. FOLDING CAMERA.

APPLICATION AFILD MAY 9. i918.

Patented Aug. 27, 1918.

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEroE.

.AUSTIN CARL FISHER, OE ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO EASTMAN KODAKCOMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK,

FOLDING CAMERA.

Original application filed March 12, 1917, Serial No. 154,179.

Serial No. 233,444.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, AUSTIN CARL Fier-1ER, ofRochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Folding Cameras; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame. reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a partof this specification, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon. 4

My present invention relates to photography and has for its object toprovide a camera of the folding type in which is employed a simple,strong and serviceable arrangement for automatically projecting thefront and lens to approximately its operative position when the camerais unfolded. The improvements are further diret-.ted toward increasingthe rigidity of the front when so projected and to these and other endsthe invention resides in certain improvenients and combinations of partsall as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel featuresbeing` pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a folding camera constructed inaccordance with and illustrating one embodiment of my invention, thesame being shown extended or in operative position;

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrative of the manner in which the camerais folded;

Fig. 3 is a front View;

Fig. 4 is a section through the camera when folded taken near the planeof the inner face of one of its side walls substantially on the line 4-4of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail fragmentary view in section on the line 5-5of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail fragmentary view of the rear of thecarriage and front taken in section transversely of the bed,substantially on the line 6 6 of Fig. 7

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section with the bellows removed, takensubstantially on the line 7-17 of Fig. 1 and showing in plan the bed andlens carriage, and

Fig. S is an enlarged detail fragmentary view in section on the line 8-8of Fig. 3.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate thesame parts.

i Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Auo. 27, 1918.

Divided and this application filed May 9,

This application is a division of my prior application Serial No.154,179, led March 12, 1917, in which I describe and claim a focusingdevice or mechanism for adjusting the Y lens 7, which mechanism isparticularly api plicable to the device hereinafter described.

In the present embodiment, the camera comprises a body 1 and a hingedbed 2 of the usual type that is supported when eX tended by links 3 andwhen closed, acts as a door or closure for the front of the body inwhich latter the front 4 and bellows 5 may be housed as shown in Fig. 4.A spring catch 6 having an upwardly turning locking lip 7 released byabutton 8 projecting to the exterior of the body 1 holds the bed infolded position in a manner to be hereinafter described and when thecatch is released, the bed is thrown to its extended or operativeposition and supported and locked there by the links 3 through theinfluence of a spring 9 surrounding the pintle 10 of the hinge thatconnects the bed and body at 11.

In the practice of my invention, I provide at the forward end of the beda carriage plate 12 (Fig. 7) that 'has a limited movement longitudinallythereof to project, if desired, beyond its forward end, which carriageplate has slots 13 by means of which it is guided on headed pins 14 Xedin the bed. The sides of the carriage plate are turned upwardly intoparallel flanges 15 while the front edge is formed into a hinge knuckle16 coperating with the knuckle 17 on a cross piece 18 connecting thearms or links 19 of an integral yoke that isl thus pivoted on the pintle20 to the forward end of the carriage. The links 19 work on the outersides of the flanges' 15 and at the forward ends of the latter areoutwardly or laterally turned abutment ears 21. These act as stopsdefining the extended positions of the .links when brought forward underthe influence of a spring 22 that surrounds the pintle 20.

The upper ends of the links 19 are pivoted at 23 to forwardly turnedears 24 on the sides of the front or lens board 4 and surrounding thepivots 23 are springs 25 bearing against studs 26 on the links and lensboard, respectively, and tending to rotate the lens board so that itsbase will be urged forwardly. During such movement, the

said base indicated at 27, passes between the flanges l5 until it abutsinwardly turned ears 28 thereon arranged near the rear ends of' theflanges. When this engagement takes place, a vertically sliding catch orbolt guided by means of pins 30 operating bed 2 while the front s hasbeen rotated forwardly on its pivotal connections 23 with the links toalso lie parallel with and against the bed. As the butt-on S is pressedand the bed 2 released, it swings forwardly to its open positionimmediately. At the saine time, the links 19 swing forwardly under theinfluence oi their spring 22 until stopped by the abutments 2l in therearwardly inclined positions shown in Fig. l which raises the front 4.As soon as the latter is carried up sufliciently far, it beOins torotate upon the pivots 28 under the influence ofl its own springs 25until its base 2T comes up against the abutincnts 2S and it is locked bythe bolt 29. The front is then in an erect operative position on thecarriage and it will be noted that inasmuch as it rests upon the rearend of the latter while the links i9 provide inelined braces at thefront, a substantially triangular support for the lens ot greatrigidity7 is provided. To iiold the camera, the bolt 29 is released bymeans of an operating portion and the front l is grasped at the top androtated forwardly and downwardly carrying the links 19 with it, as shownin F ig. 2. During this movement, the base 27 of the front, in swingingrearwardly on two centers, engages a rearwardly inclined tongue 3G onthe bed Q and is guided thereby to its proper folded parallelrelationship with the bed in which position the tongue also supports itwhile the parts are folded, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The bed is thenclosed against the bedy from the position of F ig. 2, usual, wher-eatthe parts remain confined in theirI folded positions as in Fig. l.

The carriage plate l2 is, in -the present instance, fitted with anoverlying cover plate 37 held against it by two screws 38 but this isprovided merely to give a finished appearance and conceal the w rkingparts of the carriage plate.

l claim as my invention:

l. ln a folding camera, the combination with a body and a hinged bedclosing the front thereof, of a carriage mounted on the bed having twosets of abutments, a pair of links pivoted to the carriage to swingforwardly against one set of abutinents or to fold rearwardly againstthe bed, a front pivoted to the links to also fold against the bed andadapted to engage the other set of' abutinents on the carriage, abellows connecting the front and body and means for projecting the frontand links from folded position.

2. ln a folding camera, the combination with a body and a hinged bedclosing the front thereof', of a carriage plate mounted on the bedhaving upwardly extending side flanges provided Vwith outwardly turnediorward abutinents and inwardly turned rearward abutments, a pair oflinks pivoted to the carriage plate ou the outer sides of the flanges toswing forwardly against the said forward abutmc'nts or to 1foldrearwardly against the bed, a liront pivoted to the links to also toldagainst the bed and adapted to swing forwardly between the flanges ofthe carriage plate and engage the rearward abutnients thereon, a bellowsconnecting the front and body and means for projecting the front andlinks from folded position.

3. ln a folding camera, the combination with a body and a. hinged bedclosing the Jfront thereof, of a pair of links pivoted to the bed tofold rearwardly against the latter, a front pivoted to the links to foldforwardly against the bed, an inclined tongue on the bed for guiding thefront to its folded position by engagement with the base thereof, abellows connecting the iront and body .and means for projecting thefront and links troni folded position.

AUSTIN CARL FSHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

